What Is Fasting? — A Biblical Guide to the Discipline Most Christians Neglect

# What Is Fasting? — A Biblical Guide to the Discipline Most Christians Neglect

Fasting is mentioned in the Bible over 70 times. Jesus assumed His followers would fast — not *if* they fasted, but *when* (Matthew 6:16). Yet for most contemporary Christians, fasting is the spiritual discipline they have heard of but never tried, or tried once and abandoned.

That gap between biblical expectation and modern practice is worth examining. What is fasting, really? What does it accomplish? And how do you actually do it?

## What Fasting Is — and What It Is Not

Fasting, in its most basic definition, is voluntarily abstaining from food for a spiritual purpose. It is not a diet. It is not a protest. It is not a way of earning God's favor or twisting His arm. Biblical fasting is always connected to prayer, always oriented toward God, and always rooted in a recognition of need and dependence.

The Hebrew word for fasting (*tsom*) simply means "to abstain." The Greek word (*nesteia*) carries the same meaning. What distinguishes biblical fasting from mere hunger is its intentionality — you are redirecting the time and appetite you would spend on food toward seeking God.

## Why People Fast in the Bible

The reasons people fasted throughout Scripture are varied and instructive:

**To seek God in a crisis.** When Jehoshaphat faced a massive invading army, "he was afraid and set himself to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah" (2 Chronicles 20:3). When Ezra faced a dangerous journey, "I proclaimed a fast... that we might humble ourselves before our God" (Ezra 8:21).

**To mourn sin and seek forgiveness.** Fasting often accompanied genuine repentance — in Joel 2:12, God calls Israel: "Return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." The people of Nineveh fasted when Jonah preached judgment, and God relented (Jonah 3:5–10).

**To seek direction and commission leaders.** In Acts 13:2–3, the church at Antioch was fasting and praying when the Holy Spirit directed them to set apart Paul and Barnabas for missionary work. Before Paul's first missionary journey, fasting accompanied the laying on of hands.

**To intensify prayer for urgent needs.** Esther asked all the Jews in Susa to fast for three days before she approached the king on behalf of her people (Esther 4:16). Daniel fasted and prayed for 21 days while seeking understanding about Israel's future (Daniel 10:2–3).

**As a personal discipline of devotion.** Anna "did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day" (Luke 2:37). Her fasting was not crisis-driven — it was the posture of a life devoted to God.

## Jesus on Fasting

Jesus' teaching on fasting in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:16–18) is striking for one reason: He assumes it will happen. He does not say "if you choose to fast." He says "when you fast." For Jesus, fasting was a normal part of a disciple's life — like giving (6:2) and praying (6:5).

His only instruction about how to fast is about the heart: do it for God, not for show. Wash your face. Don't look gloomy. Keep it between you and your Father. The reward, He says, comes from the One "who sees in secret."

Jesus Himself fasted 40 days at the beginning of His public ministry (Matthew 4:1–11). This was not a spiritual necessity for the sinless Son of God — it was a demonstration that fasting and prayer are the proper posture for anyone about to undertake serious kingdom work.

## What Fasting Actually Does

Fasting does not change God's mind. It does not make you more righteous. It does not earn spiritual merit.

What it does is change *you*.

When you deny your body its most basic appetite, something shifts in your soul. The fog of comfort and routine lifts. Hunger sharpens your awareness that you are dependent — on God for your daily bread, and on Him for everything else you have come to take for granted.

John Piper describes it this way: fasting is not a way of getting something from God, it is a way of saying that you want *God Himself* more than you want the thing you are abstaining from. It is appetite expressed in reverse — the hunger of the stomach becomes a declaration of the deeper hunger of the heart.

Practically, fasting also creates time. The hours you would spend eating, preparing food, and thinking about your next meal can be spent in focused prayer. Many people who fast for the first time are surprised at how much time eating actually consumes.

## Types of Biblical Fasting

**Normal fast:** Abstaining from all food but not from water. This is the most common pattern in Scripture and what most people mean by "fasting."

**Absolute fast:** No food or water. Moses and Esther both engaged in absolute fasts (Deuteronomy 9:9; Esther 4:16). These were exceptional, crisis-level spiritual moments — not a regular pattern. Medically, an absolute fast beyond 24 hours is dangerous and should not be practiced routinely.

**Partial fast (Daniel Fast):** Daniel and his friends abstained from meat and wine, eating only vegetables and water (Daniel 1:12; 10:3). A Daniel Fast today typically means abstaining from meat, sweets, and processed foods while eating simply. This is often practiced by people who cannot safely do a normal fast due to medical conditions.

**Corporate fast:** Fasting together as a community — a church, a congregation, or a household — for a shared spiritual purpose. Joel 2 calls for this. The Ninevites practiced this. It remains a powerful spiritual act for a local church.

## How to Begin

If you have never fasted, start small. A 24-hour fast from dinner to dinner is a manageable starting point. Drink plenty of water. Plan what you will do with the time you would have spent eating — be specific about prayer, Scripture, or seeking God for a particular need.

Tell as few people as possible (Matthew 6:18). Fast with a purpose — not vague spirituality, but a specific request or a deepening of your awareness of God.

If you have a medical condition, talk to a doctor before fasting from food. God is not honored by endangering your health, and a partial fast can serve the same spiritual purpose as a full one.

## Fasting at FBC Fenton

Fasting is a personal discipline, but it is also something we practice together at First Baptist Church of Fenton. Our church has called periodic corporate fasts as we seek God's direction, pray for our city, and intercede for our missionaries in Pakistan, India, and Thailand.

If you want to grow in this discipline, consider joining our prayer team, or talk to one of our pastors about how to begin. The goal is not an impressive spiritual résumé — it is a deeper, more dependent, more attentive relationship with the God who sees in secret and rewards openly.

*"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?"* — Isaiah 58:6